Spurs ‘not surprised at all’ by Ibaka’s possible return

Initially ruled out for the entire Western Conference Finals, and potentially the entire postseason, with an injured calf, Oklahoma City forward Serge Ibaka was upgraded to day-to-day on Friday, opening the door for a possible return as soon as Game 3 on Sunday.

And the Spurs aren’t surprised in the least. Indeed, having skepticism before the series started on Monday that Ibaka would miss any games at all, it almost sounded as if they expected it, particularly after hammering the Thunder in the first two meetings to take a 2-0 series lead.

“Shocked,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, never one to pass up an opportunity for sarcasm. “So surprised.”

“Like I told you from the beginning, I know Sammy (Presti, Oklahoma City’s general manager and former Spurs assistant GM). We knew (Ibaka) would be back. And that’s good. Nobody would wish it on anybody to miss the playoffs. We’ve had guys miss playoffs before and it’s obviously a downer. So if he gets back in, and I’m sure he will as I’ve said from the beginning, I think it’s great.”

Said Tim Duncan, when asked to register his surprise on a scale of 1 to 10, “That’s the first I’ve heard of it…what were the numbers again? I’m not surprised. He’s a competitor, they’re down, he wants to play in the playoffs. I’m not surprised at all.”

The Thunder had announced last Friday that Ibaka, injured in the final game of their semifinal series with the Clippers on May 15, would miss at least the conference finals with a Grade 2 calf strain. The injury typically requires between four to six weeks to heal, with rehab hampered by the high rate of re-injury.

Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard both said they were skeptical of the severity before the series began.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Parker of the likelihood that Ibaka, Oklahoma City’s defensive anchor and a key factor in its success against the Spurs in recent seasons, was lost.

But Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks definitively reiterated Ibaka’s status after Monday’s series opener, in which the Spurs romped for 66 points in the paint en route to a 122-105 victory.

“Contrary to what San Antonio is thinking, he is not coming back,” he said. “He’s not coming through those doors.”

Then came Friday, when Presti issued a press release detailing what would seem to be a miraculous recovery. (Unless, of course, you’re a Spur.)

“The abundance of blood and therefore swelling in Serge’s calf has reduced substantially and unexpectedly, allowing a level of movement and stability not thought possible after the initial diagnosis,” he said.

Ibaka has yet to complete a full basketball workout since his injury on May 15. He remained in Oklahoma City as the Thunder traveled to San Antonio for Games 1 and 2, walking and doing light basketball drills.

Presti told reporters on Friday he couldn’t rule Ibaka out for Game 3, which tips off at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

“Obviously we’re really pleased with the progress that he’s made,” Presti said. “We’re excited for him. We know how hard he has worked in a short amount of time to give himself every opportunity to improve.

“At the same time we’re surprised that we’re here, although grateful that he’s made enough progress for us to say that he’s not ruled out. I think it’s important when you look at this to recognize that we’re not saying that he’s playing, but we’re really trying to indicate that the information is telling us that we can’t rule him out. What we’re trying to do is provide the information because it’s different than what we had initially been working with.”

If so, what condition he’ll be in remains to be seen. At full strength, Ibaka has been a dominant force in recent meetings with the Spurs, helping Oklahoma City win 10 of 12 meetings dating back to the 2012 Western Conference Finals. He was particularly effective this season as the Spurs averaged just 93 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court in four Thunder victories.

But having been blown out by 17 and then 35 points — their worst playoff defeat since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008 — the Thunder will take anything they can get, even if it’s merely a token morale boost a la Willis Reed.

While Danny Green acknowledged the possibility of such a lift, Duncan said the Spurs won’t waste time thinking about it.

“It doesn’t change anything,” Duncan said. “We’re going to play the same way, attack the same way and hopefully have the same results.”

Added Popovich, “It gives them another hell of a player. But we are who we are. We have to be who we are. We can’t change what we do.”